Benjamin Fletcher

Benjamin Fletcher (1640-1703) was Governor of New York from 1692 to 1697, succeeding Richard Ingoldesby and preceding Richard Coote.

Biography
Benjamin Fletcher was born in 1640, and he was a colonel in the British Army before being appointed Governor of New York in 1692. Fletcher was known for making Anglicanism the state religion of New York, but he is best known for his association with pirates. Thomas Tew and William Kidd were both allowed to operate from New York City to take part in the "Red Sea trade" (pirating against the Mughal Empire), and he gave the known pirates the privilege of being "privateers", giving them legitimacy. In 1697, Fletcher was fired due to his pirate associations, and Richard Coote succeeded him.